Was Jack on a date?
Was this his girlfriend?
If so, why had he kissed Brooke—not once, but twice?
Perhaps they weren’t dating, but something about the way they held themselves, their bodies angling toward each other, made her think they’d been intimate before. Was this an ex-girlfriend? Ex-lover? She was exactly his type. Fit, bronzed, everything Brooke wasn’t. She’d bet the unknown woman didn’t talk too much or spend months planning her outfit for sci-fi conventions.
“Hey, Brooke,” Jack said, smiling in a way that didn’t reach his eyes. “What’s up?”
Her smile wavered, and she did her best to mask it, but his companion’s expression became pinched. “I, uh, think I found a sponsor. For Everest.”
“That’s great. Well done, you!” His fake smile stretched wider, and though the expression sat awkwardly on his face, it made him so handsome it hurt to look at him.
He’s with another woman.
Had she thought she could be friends with him and nothing more? Yeah, she’d been kidding herself. It seemed he’d always make her heart beat a little more rapidly.
“Thanks,” she said, but the excitement she’d felt moments earlier had deflated faster than a balloon with a hole in it. “I just got off the phone with him. His daughter reads my blog, and she saw my post earlier this morning…” She trailed off as the woman scanned her from head to toe, her lips twisting in a dismissive smirk.
Suddenly, Brooke was all too aware of her red face, unflattering t-shirt, and the helmet of blonde hair plastered to her scalp. Next to the perfectly made up woman who looped an arm through Jack’s, she must look a fright. She had never been one to compare her attractiveness to others, but given such a superb example of womanhood, it was impossible not to. And clearly, the brunette wanted her to leave.
“It’s all coming together,” he said. “Good for you.”
She nodded, afraid to speak past the lump in her throat. He gave her a questioning look. She managed to choke out a brief farewell, then turned on her heel and bolted, heading for Sanctuary.
What had given her the stupid idea that Jack might view her as anything other than a mistake? She shouldn’t be upset to see him with another woman. She was the one who’d insisted they keep their relationship professional. But damn, it stung.
Blinking back hot tears, she picked up her pace. She needed to shut herself in her bedroom, have a hot shower, and forget everything about Jack Farrelly except the fact he could help her accomplish her mission. That’s all that really mattered.
If only she could believe it.
17
“Well, that was weird,” Jack said, watching Brooke retreat. One minute she’d been racing across the courtyard toward him, wearing the biggest smile he’d ever seen—while he wondered what he’d done to deserve being sandwiched between the woman he was currently interested in and one he’d previously slept with—and the next, her face had turned splotchy and she’d careened away.
“That wasn’t like her at all,” he mused out loud. “Usually, when she’s in a mood like that, it’s all you can do to get a word in edgewise.”
Though puzzled by her abrupt about-face, he couldn’t deny being relieved over not having to introduce her to Hannah. Having the two of them in one place had made him uncomfortable. He’d had a casual relationship with Hannah while they were classmates at the polytechnic. She was the type of woman he’d always imagined ending up with, but it had never been serious between them.
“You’re welcome,” Hannah said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and winking.
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She released the arm she’d latched onto and moved away from him. “It’s obvious that girl has a mad crush on you.” She shrugged one shoulder and added, “It was also obvious from your body language that you don’t feel the same way, so I put my resting bitch face to good use.”
What the hell?
His shock must have shown on his face because she folded her arms and scowled. “Don’t look at me like that. If the poor girl doesn’t have a chance with you, it’s nicer to let her know straight up.”
His fingers curled into fists, and he replayed the entire interlude in his head. How had he missed the subtext? The two women had held an entire unspoken conversation, while he’d stood by like a dimwit. Heat flushed the back of his neck in recalling Brooke’s wide eyes and open mouth as she’d stammered a goodbye and run. His stomach plummeted to the soles of his shoes. She’d been upset, and once again, he was responsible.
“Uh-oh,” Hannah said. “Maybe I misread the situation.”
“You think?” He hated the thought of Brooke hurting because of him. He wanted to go after her, gather her in his arms and promise there was nothing going on between him and Hannah. But why? He owed her nothing. He just… Well, shit. Suffice it to say, the mad crush was mutual.
“Jack.” Hannah’s tone had grown impatient. “If you’re interested in her, you shot yourself in the damn foot, because you weren’t giving out those vibes, and if I picked up on it, you can bet she did, too.”
He didn’t answer, dozens of thoughts tumbling around in his brain, knocking against each other. He didn’t know what to do, and for him, that was bloody unsettling. Maybe it was best to leave things as they were. He and Brooke were so different that any relationship between them probably wouldn’t last, but shouldn’t he explore the possibilities before making that decision?
Growling, he stomped into his shop, Hannah on his heels. He didn’t want to have this conversation in public. Hell, he didn’t want to have this conversation, full stop. Once inside, he sat on the sofa his tour groups typically waited on and gestured for Hannah to join him. When she did, he started talking.
“I like Brooke,” he told her, trying not to take his frustration out on her just because he’d had to talk more about his feelings in the last few weeks than he had in years. “She’s cute and funny, but I don’t know if I should like her, you know?”
Hannah shook her head. “You lost me.”
“We’re really different people. If I ask her out, who knows how long we’ll last?” He looked at the wall, the floor, anything but the woman beside him. If any of his friends heard him now, he’d never live it down. “But I can’t just flip a switch and stop liking her. It doesn’t work that way.”
Hannah made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat. “You’re my friend, so I’m going to be blunt with you. You’re acting like a tool. You can’t just string this girl along because you’re not sure if you want to be with her. Do you even know how insulting that is? Make it clear, one way or the other. You’re either into her, or you’re not. It’s that simple.”
Nothing was that simple, but Hannah had a point. It wasn’t fair to Brooke for him to keep flicking between hot and cold. The thought of her shutting him out of her life left a sour taste in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he imagined seeing Brooke stroll past his shop with another man’s arm around her. A pinching, searing pain started in his gut, and he wanted to rip the imaginary man’s arm from its socket.